Mapping the Landscape of Pro-Environmental Behavior

Abstract

Pro-Environmental Behavior (PEB) is often used as an umbrella term to summarize a variety of behaviors, making synthesizing research difficult. We provide a framework to systemize the landscape of PEB. The framework differentiates between consequences (e.g., mitigation, conservation, restoration), pathways (e.g., sufficiency, efficiency), types (e.g., individual behaviors), and domains (e.g., recycling). We reviewed N = 6,372 PEB indicators from 874 studies and analyzed which aspect was measured, how it was measured, and the extent to which studies utilized novel, modified, or adopted indicators. We found that most PEB indicators addressed mitigation behaviors, whereas fewer represented conservation or restoration behaviors. Most measures captured individual behaviors rather than social impact or civic behaviors, and their domain usually referred to waste and energy-related behaviors. Most studies utilized novel or modified indicators, which can hinder the cumulation of findings. We created a database to search for measures and increase reuse rates.